[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 37 (Friday, February 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13795-13799]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03532]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 12335]


Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act Annual Report

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice contains the text of the report required by the 
Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, as submitted by the 
Secretary of State.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Self, Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0e5d6b62684f464e7d7a6f7a6b20696178"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d182b4bdb7909991a2a5b0a5b4ffb6bea7">[email protected]</span></a>, 
Phone: (202) 412 3586.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 25, 2024, the Under Secretary of 
State for Political Affairs approved the following report pursuant to 
the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (Pub. L. 114-328, 
title XII, subtitle F) (``the Act''), which is implemented and built 
upon by Executive Order 13818 of December 20, 2017, ``Executive Order 
Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse 
or Corruption'' (E.O. 13818). The text of the report follows:
    Pursuant to section 1264 of the Act, and in accordance with E.O. 
13818, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of 
the Treasury, submits this report to detail the Administration's 
implementation of the Act in the 2023 reporting period.
    In 2023, the United States took significant action under the Global 
Magnitsky sanctions program (``Global Magnitsky''), sanctioning 78 
foreign persons over the course of the year. As of December 2023, the 
United States has sanctioned over 650 foreign persons (individuals and 
entities) pursuant to E.O. 13818 since 2017. This sanctions program, 
which targets those connected to serious human rights abuse, corrupt 
actors, and their enablers, represents the best of the United States' 
values and enduring commitment to promoting respect for human rights 
and combatting corruption around the world. Through Global Magnitsky, 
the United States has sought to disrupt and deter serious human rights 
abuse and corruption abroad; promote accountability for those who act 
with impunity; and maintain U.S. global leadership on anti-corruption 
and human rights promotion in coordination with U.S. partners, allies, 
and civil society where appropriate. The Administration can and will 
continue to utilize this tool to promote respect for human rights and 
the rule of law globally.
    As the President outlined in the National Security Strategy (NSS), 
the United States will stand with our allies and partners to combat new 
threats confronting our democracies. The Administration will take 
special aim at countering corruption, which corrodes democracy from the 
inside, erodes government stability, impedes economic development, and 
is increasingly weaponized by authoritarian states to undermine 
democratic institutions. The United States also seeks to promote 
respect for human rights; address discrimination, inequity, and 
marginalization in all its forms; and stand up for democracy, the rule 
of law, and human dignity. On all these issues, the United States works 
to forge a common approach with likeminded countries. Through 
implementation of the Global Magnitsky sanctions program, the 
Administration is taking action to execute the President's vision as 
described in the NSS.
    Global Magnitsky, paired with cooperation with likeminded 
international partners, directly addresses the objectives outlined in 
the 2021 United States Strategy on Countering Corruption (``the 
strategy''), which underscores the fight against corruption as a 
national security priority. The strategy directs U.S. government action 
to: strengthen efforts to hold accountable corrupt individuals and 
their facilitators, including by, where appropriate, identifying, 
freezing, and recovering stolen assets through sanctions or other 
authorities; bolster the capacity of domestic and international 
institutions and multilateral bodies focused on establishing global 
anti-corruption norms; and work with international partners to 
counteract strategic corruption by foreign leaders, foreign state-owned 
or affiliated enterprises, and other foreign actors and their domestic 
collaborators.
    The strategy spotlights the Global Magnitsky sanctions program 
among the U.S. Government's foreign policy tools for promoting global 
accountability for serious human rights abuse and corruption through 
the imposition of financial sanctions on foreign persons.
    Actions taken in 2023 continue to demonstrate the reach, 
flexibility, and broad scope of Global Magnitsky. The United States 
responded to serious human rights abuse and corruption

[[Page 13796]]

globally, deterring and disrupting some of the most egregious behavior 
by foreign actors. Actions taken in 2023 targeted, among others, 
corrupt politicians undermining the rule of law in Paraguay, Guatemala, 
Bulgaria, and Haiti and serious human rights abuse involving Russia's 
treatment of human rights defender, prominent opposition leader, 
author, and historian Vladimir Kara-Murza as well as abductions and 
sexual violence committed by Haitian gangs and their leaders. Actions 
against Paraguayan and former Afghan government officials highlighted 
the U.S. Government's ongoing effort to disrupt pervasive corruption 
and illicit financial networks in their most entrenched forms and at 
the highest level of public office.
    When considering financial sanctions under Global Magnitsky, the 
United States prioritizes actions that are expected to produce a 
tangible and significant impact on corrupt actors, serious human rights 
abusers, and their affiliates, and prompt changes in behavior or 
disrupt the activities of malign actors. Sanctions under Global 
Magnitsky aim to target systemic corruption and human rights abuse, 
including the networks that engage in, facilitate, or perpetuate 
sustained patterns of such illicit behavior. Persons sanctioned 
pursuant to this authority appear on the Office of Foreign Assets 
Control's (OFAC's) List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked 
Persons (SDN List). As a result of these actions, all property and 
interests in property of the sanctioned persons that are in the United 
States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and 
must be reported to OFAC. Unless authorized by a general or specific 
license issued by OFAC or otherwise exempt, OFAC's regulations 
generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or 
transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in 
property of designated or otherwise blocked persons. The prohibitions 
include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or 
services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person or the 
receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services 
from any such person.
    In 2023, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the 
Secretary of State and the Attorney General, imposed economic sanctions 
on the following 78 foreign persons (individuals and entities) pursuant 
to E.O. 13818:

Afghanistan

    <bullet> Fariduddin Mahmood: Mahmood was designated on December 8, 
2023, for being a foreign person who is responsible for, or complicit 
in--or has directly or indirectly engaged in--serious human rights 
abuses involving the restriction of access to all secondary education 
for women and girls in Afghanistan, solely on the basis of gender, 
which interferes with their enjoyment of equal protection. Mahmood is a 
member of the Taliban's so-called ``cabinet'' that made decisions to 
close education centers and schools to women and girls after the sixth 
grade. He serves as the so-called ``head of the Afghanistan Academy of 
Sciences'' and supported the education-related bans on women and girls.
    <bullet> Khalid Hanafi: Hanafi was designated on December 8, 2023, 
for being a foreign person who is, or has been, a leader or official of 
an entity, including any government entity, that has engaged in, or 
whose members have engaged in, serious human rights abuse relating to 
the leader's or official's tenure. Hanafi serves as the Taliban's so-
called ``Minister'' for the so-called ``Ministry for the Propagation of 
Virtue and Prevention of Vice'' (MPVPV). Since August 2021, members of 
the so-called MPVPV have engaged in serious human rights abuse, 
including killings, abductions, whippings, and beatings. Members of the 
so-called MPVPV have assaulted people protesting the restrictions on 
women's activity, including access to education.
    <bullet> Mir Rahman Rahmani and Ajmal Rahmani: Mir Rahmani and 
Ajmal Rahmani, collectively ``the Rahmanis,'' were designated on 
December 11, 2023, for being government officials, or persons acting 
for or on behalf of such an official, who are responsible for or 
complicit in, or have directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, 
including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of 
private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government 
contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery. The 
Rahmanis engaged in corruption related to government contracts 
involving the import and delivery of fuel, contract inflation, import 
tax fraud, fuel theft, and parliamentary corruption.
    [cir] On December 11, 2023, 41 entities were designated for being 
owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on 
behalf of, directly or indirectly, Ajmal Rahmani:

[squ] 21 German companies: Ozean Immobilien Projektentwicklung 
Verwaltungs- GmbH, Ozean Immobilien Management GmbH & Co. KG, Ozean 
Immobilien Projektentwicklung GmbH & Co. KG, Pyramaxia Immoprojekt GmbH 
& Co. KG, Pyramaxia Real Estate Development GmbH & Co. KG, Pyramaxia 
Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, Ozean Group GmbH, Ozean Baustoffe GmbH & Co. 
KG, Ozean Horizont Baumaschinen & Bauequipment GmbH & Co. KG, Ozean 
Horizont Bauwerke GmbH, Ozean Horizont Erdarbeiten GmbH & Co. KG, Ozean 
Horizont Objektplanung GmbH & Co. KG, Ozean Horizont 
Projektentwicklungs GmbH & Co. KG, Ozean Horizont Spezialtiefbau GmbH & 
Co. KG, RG Immoprojekt GmbH & Co. KG, RG Real Estate Development GmbH & 
Co. KG, RG Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, NAI Energy Europe GmbH & Co. KG, 
NAI Energy Europe Verwaltungs GmbH, NAI Europe Energy GmbH & Co. KG, 
and NAI Management GmbH
[squ] Eight Cypriot companies: Pyramaxia Limited, RG Holdings Limited, 
NAI Logistics Limited, Buoyant Holdings Limited, Ocean Europe CY 
Limited, DCH. Dream Creators Holdings LTD, Riseonic Holdings LTD, and 
ZEM Holdings LTD
[squ] Six Emirati companies: RG Group FZE, The Fern Limited, Ascent 
Holdings LTD, Orbit International FZE, Ocean Estate Company Limited, 
and Rahmani Group International JLT
[squ] Two Afghan companies: Fidelis Logistic and Supply Services and 
Secure Movement Logistics Services
[squ] Two Austrian companies: Ocean Estate GmbH and Ocean Properties 
GmbH
[squ] One Dutch company: NAI Logistics B.V.
[squ] One Bulgarian company: Lego Investments EOOD

    [cir] Additionally, the following two German companies were 
designated for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or 
purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Ocean 
Properties GmbH: Ozean Development Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG and Ozean 
Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG.
    [cir] The following Dutch company was designated for being owned or 
controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf 
of, directly or indirectly, RZ Group FZE: AlphaOne Pharmaceutical B.V.

Bulgaria

    <bullet> Rumen Stoyanov Ovcharov: Ovcharov was designated on 
February 10, 2023, for being a foreign person who is a current or 
former government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such 
an official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or 
indirectly engaged in,

[[Page 13797]]

corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the 
expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related 
to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or 
bribery. Ovcharov is a former Minister of Energy and Economy, Bulgarian 
member of parliament (MP), and current member of the Bulgarian 
Socialist Party (BSP) National Council. Ovcharov repeatedly engaged in 
corrupt energy contracts with Russian energy companies, receiving 
bribes and other kickbacks in exchange for fixed-price contracts for 
Russian gas and nuclear fuel and support contracts at the Kozloduy 
Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP). Russian-based nuclear fuel contracts 
negotiated by Ovcharov proxies overcharged KNPP up to [euro]50 million, 
resulting in tens of millions in ill-gotten profits for participants.
    <bullet> Aleksandar Hristov Nikolov: Nikolov was designated on 
February 10, 2023, for being a foreign person who is a current or 
former government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such 
an official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or 
indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of 
state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, 
corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural 
resources, or bribery. Nikolov is a former CEO and deputy director of 
KNPP. Nikolov, Ovcharov, and Ivan Kirov Genov coordinated personal 
commissions by corruptly diverting service contracts for KNPP to their 
own business interests, avoiding scrutiny from Bulgarian officials 
through offshore management. Nikolov and Genov agreed to accept five 
million Bulgarian leva in bribes from foreign nuclear power executives 
in exchange for guarantees of KNPP contracts.
    <bullet> Ivan Kirov Genov: Genov was designated on February 10, 
2023, for being a foreign person who is a current or former government 
official who is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly or 
indirectly engaged in corruption, including the misappropriation of 
state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, 
corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural 
resources, or bribery. Genov is a former CEO of KNPP and was a 
Bulgarian MP with the BSP from 2017 to 2019. Genov, Nikolov, and 
Ovcharov coordinated personal commissions by corruptly diverting 
service contracts for KNPP to their own business interests, avoiding 
scrutiny from Bulgarian officials through offshore management. Genov 
and Nikolov agreed to accept five million Bulgarian leva in bribes from 
foreign nuclear power executives in exchange for guarantees of KNPP 
contracts. Even after exiting his position as Executive Director of 
KNPP, Genov solicited three million Bulgarian leva in bribes from 
Bulgarian business executives to facilitate the reconsideration of KNPP 
contract awards to benefit their companies.
    <bullet> Nikolay Simeonov Malinov: Malinov was designated on 
February 10, 2023, for being a foreign person who is a current or 
former government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such 
an official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or 
indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of 
state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, 
corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural 
resources, or bribery. Malinov is a former MP from the BSP and leader 
of the pro-Russian lobby group Russophiles National Movement. After he 
was arrested and charged with espionage for spying for Russian-backed 
interests and barred from international travel in September 2019, 
Malinov bribed a Bulgarian judge to allow him to travel to Russia to 
personally receive the Friendship Medal from Russian President Vladimir 
Putin.
    <bullet> Inter Trade 2021 EOOD, MS Konsult 2016 EOOD, Russophiles 
National Movement, Russophiles for the Revival of the Fatherland 
Political Party: These entities were designated on February 10, 2023, 
for being owned or controlled by, directly or indirectly, Malinov.
    <bullet> Vladislov Ivanov Goranov: Goranov was designated on 
February 10, 2023, for being a foreign person who is a current or 
former government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such 
an official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or 
indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of 
state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, 
corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural 
resources, or bribery. Goranov served as a Bulgarian MP and was 
Minister of Finance in the second and third administrations led by the 
Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) political party 
until 2020. As Minister of Finance, Goranov participated in a 
corruption scheme that resulted in tens of millions of euros paid to 
Bulgarian officials in exchange for favorable legislation for 
interested parties involved in the gambling industry.
    <bullet> Trilemma Consulting Ltd EOOD: This entity was designated 
on February 10, 2023, for being owned or controlled by, directly or 
indirectly, Goranov. Trilemma Consulting Ltd EOOD is a sole 
proprietorship consulting company.

Guatemala

    <bullet> Luis Miguel Martinez Morales: Martinez was designated on 
December 1, 2023, for being a foreign person who is a current or former 
government official, or person acting for or on behalf of such an 
official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly 
or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of 
state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, 
corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural 
resources, or bribery. Martinez is the former head of the now-defunct 
Centro de Gobierno. Martinez has influenced the government contracts 
process to benefit himself and close associates. Martinez colluded with 
other Guatemalan government officials to illegally award contracts to 
favored bidders outside of Guatecompras, the Guatemalan government's 
formal procurement system. Martinez and his conspirators used 
antiquated procurement law to forego the bidding process and secure 
government contracts for companies in which he has a financial 
interest.

Haiti

    <bullet> Gary Bodeau: Bodeau was designated on April 5, 2023, for 
being a foreign person who is a current or former government official, 
or a person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is 
responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged 
in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the 
expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related 
to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or 
bribery. Bodeau is the former President of the Haitian Chamber of 
Deputies. Bodeau was involved in several corrupt schemes wherein he 
engaged in efforts to influence the outcome of Haitian political 
appointments, including facilitating and soliciting bribes worth 
millions of dollars. In 2018, Bodeau paid Haitian officials to secure 
their votes while seeking ministerial position appointments. He also 
solicited a large bribery payment worth hundreds of thousands of 
dollars from senior government officials in exchange for his political 
support. In 2019, Bodeau offered to deliver a successful vote in the 
Chamber of Deputies for a prospective ministerial appointee in

[[Page 13798]]

exchange for millions of dollars paid out through individual payments 
to members of the Chamber of Deputies.
    <bullet> Johnson Andr[eacute], Renel Destina, Vitel'homme Innocent, 
and Wilson Joseph: Andr[eacute], Destina, Innocent, and Joseph were 
each designated on December 8, 2023 for being a foreign person who is 
responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged 
in, serious human rights abuse and for being a foreign person who is or 
has been a leader or official of an entity, including any government 
entity, that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious 
human rights abuse relating to the leader's or official's tenure in 
their roles as leaders of criminal gangs in Haiti. Respectively, 
Andr[eacute], Destina, Innocent, and Joseph are the leaders of four 
criminal gangs: 5 Segond, Grand Ravine, Kraze Bary[eacute], and 400 
Mawozo. Innocent and Joseph have both been indicted by the U.S. 
Department of Justice for their role in the armed kidnapping of U.S. 
citizens in Haiti. Andr[eacute] and his gang have been identified by 
survivors as being directly responsible for 1,035 documented cases of 
sexual violence in 2022 alone. Destina, who is a key ally of 
Andr[eacute], has committed kidnappings as well as killings, robberies, 
rapes, looting and burning of residences, and continuous attacks 
against Haitian police officers.

Liberia

    <bullet> Jefferson Koijee: Koijee was designated on December 8, 
2023, for being a foreign person who is responsible for or complicit 
in, or who has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights 
abuse and for being a foreign person who is a current or former 
government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such an 
official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly 
or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of 
state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, 
corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural 
resources, or bribery. Koijee and his supporters have been involved in 
violence in connection with: an opposition rally in July 2022, students 
attending a memorial service for former Liberian president Amos Sawyer 
in March 2022, an anti-rape protest in August 2020, a student 
graduation ceremony in December 2019, and an opposition rally in 
November 2018. Koijee has also engaged in corrupt acts, including 
bribery and misappropriation of state assets for use by private 
political movements and pressuring anti-corruption investigators to 
halt corruption investigations.

Paraguay

    <bullet> Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara: Cartes was designated on 
January 26, 2023, for being a foreign person who is a current or former 
government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such an 
official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or 
indirectly engaged in corruption, including the misappropriation of 
state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, 
corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural 
resources, or bribery. Former Paraguayan president Cartes engaged in 
corruption before, during, and after his term as President of Paraguay. 
Cartes paid party members up to $10,000 each to support his candidacy 
ahead of the 2013 elections. While President of Paraguay, Cartes 
continued his corrupt schemes, including making cash payments to 
officials in exchange for their loyalty and support. He maintained his 
grip on policymaking through monthly cash bribes paid out to loyal 
legislators; payments ranged from $5,000 to $50,000 per member. Cartes 
continued to influence legislative activities after leaving office, 
targeting political opponents, and bribing legislators to direct votes 
in his interest, with top supporters receiving as much as $50,000 
monthly.
    <bullet> Hugo Adalberto Velazquez Moreno: Velazquez was designated 
on January 26, 2023, for being a foreign person who is a current or 
former government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such 
an official, who has engaged in, corruption, including the 
misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets 
for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the 
extraction of natural resources, or bribery. Then-Paraguayan Vice 
President Velazquez interfered in legal processes to protect himself 
and criminal associates from criminal investigations, including by 
bribing and threatening those who would expose his criminal activity.
    <bullet> Tabacos USA Inc., Bebidas USA Inc., Dominicana Acquisition 
S.A., Frigorifico Chajha S.A.E.: These entities were designated on 
January 26, 2023, for being owned or controlled by Cartes.
    <bullet> Tabacalera Del Este S.A. (Tabesa): On March 31, 2023, OFAC 
identified Tabesa as an entity that is owned, directly or indirectly, 
50 percent or more by Cartes and added Tabesa to the SDN List.

People's Republic of China

    <bullet> Gao Qi: Gao was designated on December 8, 2023, for being 
a foreign person who is or has been a leader or official of the 
Xinjiang Public Security Bureau (XPSB), an entity, including any 
government entity, that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged 
in, serious human rights abuse relating to his tenure. OFAC designated 
the XPSB on July 9, 2020, for being a foreign person responsible for, 
or complicit in, or that has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious 
human rights abuse. Gao was concurrently sanctioned under the Uyghur 
Human Rights Policy Act.
    <bullet> Hu Lianhe: Hu was designated on December 8, 2023, for 
being a foreign person who is or has been a leader or official of an 
entity, including any government entity, that has engaged in, or whose 
members have engaged in, any of the activities described in subsection 
(ii)(A) of Section 1(a) of E.O. 13818. Hu has served as the Deputy 
Office Director for the Xinjiang Work Coordination Small Group of the 
Central Committee since 2012. The XWCSG engaged in direct and close 
involvement in the PRC's March 2017 Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region 
``De-Extremification Regulation,'' and its October 2018 revision, which 
provided the framework for Xinjiang's ``de-extremification'' through 
re-education campaign.

Russia

    <bullet> Andrei Andreevich Zadachin: Zadachin was designated on 
March 3, 2023, for being a foreign person who is responsible for or 
complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human 
rights abuse. Zadachin is a Special Investigator assigned to the Chief 
Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian 
Federation. Zadachin ordered that a criminal case be initiated against 
Vladimir Kara-Murza based on his speech before the Arizona House of 
Representatives. Zadachin requested that detention be ordered as a pre-
trial restraint for Kara-Murza and defended this request in court.
    <bullet> Danila Yurievich Mikheev: Mikheev was designated on March 
3, 2023, or being a foreign person who has materially assisted, 
sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support 
for, or goods or services to or in support of, serious human rights 
abuse that is conducted by a foreign person. Mikheev is a Russian 
Federation national who served as an expert witness for the Russian 
government on the case against Kara-Murza, reviewing video of Kara-
Murza's

[[Page 13799]]

speech and providing a report that served as part of the basis on which 
Elena Anatolievna Lenskaya ordered Kara-Murza be held.
    <bullet> Elena Anatolievna Lenskaya: Lenskaya was designated on 
March 3, 2023, for being a foreign person who is responsible for or 
complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human 
rights abuse. Lenskaya is a judge of the Basmannyy District Court in 
Moscow who oversaw Kara-Murza's pre-trial detention hearing. Lenskaya 
ordered that Kara-Murza be held in pre-trial detention on charges based 
on his exercising the right to freedom of expression.

Uganda

    <bullet> Johnson Byabashaija: Byabashaija was designated on 
December 8, 2023, for being a foreign person who is or has been a 
leader or official of an entity, including any government entity, that 
has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious human rights 
abuse relating to the leader's or official's tenure. Byabashaija has 
served as Commissioner General of the Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) 
since 2005. During that period, members of the UPS have engaged in 
serious human rights abuse against prisoners held within UPS 
facilities. Prisoners have reported being tortured and beaten by UPS 
staff and by fellow prisoners at the direction of UPS staff. Members of 
vulnerable groups, including government critics and members of Uganda's 
LGBTQI+ community, have been beaten.

Visa Restrictions Imposed

    Persons designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 are subject to the entry 
restrictions articulated in section 2, unless an exception applies. 
Section 2 provides that the entry of persons designated under section 1 
of the order is suspended pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 8693.
    In 2023, the Department took steps to impose visa restrictions, 
when appropriate, on foreign persons involved in certain human rights 
violations and significant corruption pursuant to other authorities, 
including Presidential Proclamations 7750 and 8697, and Section 7031(c) 
of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
Appropriations Act. The Department will continue to identify 
individuals subject to those authorities as appropriate, including but 
not limited to individuals designated under Global Magnitsky. In 
addition, the Department continues to implement all grounds of 
inadmissibility in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), including 
INA section 212(a)(3)(E) which renders applicants ineligible for visas 
if a consular officer has reason to believe that they participated in 
acts of genocide, torture, or extrajudicial killings.

Efforts To Encourage Governments of Other Countries To Impose Sanctions 
Similar to Those Authorized by the Act

    The United States recognizes that our sanctions are most impactful 
when implemented in coordination with our foreign partners. In 2023, 
the Administration continued its successful outreach campaign to 
international partners regarding the expansion and use of domestic and 
multilateral anticorruption and human rights sanctions regimes. Over 
the course of the reporting period, the Administration coordinated with 
likeminded partners in pursuing coordinated actions against human 
rights abusers and corrupt actors, particularly in the run up to annual 
International Anti-Corruption Day and Human Rights Day. The United 
States took its Human Rights Day actions in concert with the United 
Kingdom and Canada, each of which took similar measures to deter human 
rights abuse globally. Of note, in coordination with partners on the 
United Nations Security Council, the United States co-sponsored the 
designation by the Security Council of four Haitian gang leaders, 
consistent with the Presidential Memorandum on Conflict-Related Sexual 
Violence and underscoring the Administration's commitment to 
recognizing abhorrent abuse and promoting accountability for serious 
human rights abusers.
    Though not concurrent with U.S. actions, the United Kingdom, 
Canada, European Union (EU), and Australia all took action against 
individuals in Russia connected to serious human rights abuse, namely 
the arbitrary detention of Russian pro-democracy activist Vladimir 
Kara-Murza. Additionally, the United States designated Gary Bodeau in 
April 2023, an individual previously designated by Canada under its 
Special Economic Measure for Haiti authority in November 2022. On the 
same day that the United States announced a second round of corruption 
sanctions in Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, together with U.S. 
government officials in Sofia, announced its designation of three 
corrupt Bulgarian actors for serious corruption and abuse of public 
institution funds under its Global Anti-Corruption and Global Human 
Rights regimes. The UK designations reinforced prior U.S. designations 
of these individuals under Global Magnitsky on June 2, 2021: Vassil 
Kroumov Bojkov, Delyan Slavchev Peevski, and Ilko Dimitrov Zhelyazkov. 
Similarly, in May 2023, the EU designated seven Moldovan individuals 
for undermining or threatening the sovereignty of Moldova, including 
Vladimir Plahotniuc, who was previously designated by the United States 
in October 2022 and by the United Kingdom in December 2022. In May 
2023, Canada designated seven individuals, including Plahotniuc. In 
October 2023, Canada imposed sanctions on nine additional individuals 
associated with Plahotniuc. On December 8, 2023, the United States 
designated two Afghan individuals, including Khalid Hanafi, the 
Taliban's so-called ``Minister'' for the so-called ``Ministry for the 
Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice'' (MPVPV) for serious 
human rights abuse related to the repression of women and girls, 
including through the restriction of access to secondary education for 
women and girls in Afghanistan solely on the basis of gender. The EU 
took similar action under its Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime on 
July 20, 2023, imposing restrictive measures on two of the Taliban's 
so-called ``acting Ministers''--including Hanafi--for their role in 
``depriving Afghan girls and women of their right to education, access 
to justice and equal treatment between men and women.''
    The United States is closely following the potential development of 
an EU anti-corruption sanctions authority and stands ready to support 
EU efforts by sharing insights and offering technical support, 
including regarding evidence collection, addressing legal challenges, 
and evidentiary requirements. The Administration will continue to seek 
out additional allies and partners, including civil society, to 
leverage all tools at our disposal to deny access to the United States' 
and international financial systems and deny entry to the United States 
to all those who engage in serious human rights abuse and corruption.

Andrew H. Self,
Foreign Affairs Officer, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, 
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2024-03532 Filed 2-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-AE-P


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